By Relocation.com
After moving home decor will be on your mind. Perhaps you’ve read all kinds of decorating tips – from painting and wallpapering your walls to stitching your own pillow covers. But, have you ever thought about decorating with plants? Maybe it hasn’t occurred to you to use plants to decorate your home. However, house plants aren’t just beautiful, but they can be healthy for you too. Studies have shown that people who have house plants are less stressed and less prone to sickness. It’s also been proven that plans can help filter air contaminants and provide better quality air inside the home. So, if you plan to decorate some house plants, here are some tips to help you.
Hanging Plants:
Plants don’t just have to grow from the ground or in pots. Some plants are great as hanging plants, especially those that have long vines or branches. Hanging plants are also good for small apartments that may have limited floor place. You can put hanging plants at the side of your windows to provide great framing, for example. You can hang it almost anywhere – above your sink, in your bathroom etc.
Mini Herb Garden:
What better type of plants to place in your kitchen than herbs and edible plants? Herbs are not only pretty and smell great, they are quite useful as well! You can put a small container garden by your window sill, and have your favorite herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano at arm’s reach while you’re whipping up a delicious meal.
Dish Garden:
If you really don’t have a lot of space, then you place several different types of plants in one container, to add some color and variety to your home. Alternately, you can also purchase or make your own terrariums where you can grow all types of plants.
Not a Green Thumb? Try Cacti:
If you’re the type of person who’s not home or just forgets to water plants, then you can try succulents or cacti. Despite what movies or cartoons may show up, cacti isn’t just one type of plant, but they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can have a corner or tabletop in your home devoted to cacti of all types and colors, and really make it interesting.
Flowers:
Of course, what better way to brighten up your home than with fresh flowers? Unlike cut flowers in vases, potted flowers can bring you beautiful blooms year after year, and can help cheer you and your guests up.
As long as it gets enough air and light, you can use almost any plant to decorate your home. Experiment and try different things to find something that suits your home.
By Relocation.com
After moving, you will have to think about how you will decorate your home. This starts by choosing proper lighting conditions for your home. Choosing lighting for your living room isn’t as easy as installing a single light bulb in the middle of the room, but neither is should it be a complicated task. The living room is your home’s most visible and public area and decorating it completely also means taking lighting design into consideration.
Lighting design considers the uses of the room and how lights may be placed to get an effect that is both functional and decorative.
When illuminating the living room, the key thing to remember is the living room is an area with so many uses, and its design and lighting must fit each of its different functions. The living room is primarily for entertaining, but people also go there to sit and relax, read, or maybe watch a movie or listen to music.
Main Lights:
The focal point in lighting this room is the main lights. These are usually found in the center of the room. They are decorative and dramatic, adding flourish to what would otherwise be a bare ceiling. If your ceiling is high enough, consider getting a chandelier, whether modern or traditional in design this type of lighting adds more than a dash of elegance to your room. You can also opt for simpler main lights but remember that eye-catching main lights really do make a difference to the finished look of the room. Main lights are good to turn on during parties and other festive occasions.
Dimmed lights/mood lighting
Watching a movie in the living room calls for dimmed lighting. This can be the recessed bulbs in the corners of the room, operated with a dimmer to keep glare out of the TV screen.
Lamps:
On the other hand, reading a book requires additional light and this is where lamps, and reading lamps, come in.
Lamps can be placed in corner tables, or right beside the reading couch, and provide focus spot lighting. Alternatively, stand lighting, similar to floor lamps but with bulbs facing upwards. Lamps can also provide area lighting around the living room. You can create a softly dramatic look in your living room by turning off all the ceiling lights, including main lights, and keeping the lamps on.
Spot Lights:
If your living room has paintings or shelves, etc, consider small spotlights that draw attention towards these. These lighting fixtures add accent to the room’s special highlights. You can also use spotlights, properly dimmed also as mood lighting.
Area Lamps:
You would also need area lamps to light up particular sections of the room. This is both energy saving and practical. Mood lighting is dim and soft, and if done right, transforms your living room into a cozy cocoon.
Coming up with the perfect lighting system for your living room means creating a combination of any one of the above. But first you have to consider what uses your living room is more frequented for and decide from there. Of course having all these elements together is ideal and creates the most dramatic lighting effect.
By Relocation.com
After you settled in from your moving experience, it’s time to think about the look of your home. If your current home décor looks old, tired and outdated, then now is the time to bring in a fresher look. There are lots of upcoming trends in 2012 you should check out, to help you find ideas for your next home improvement decorating projects.
Green is Always In:
These days, everyone is getting on the environmental bandwagon, so don’t get left behind! Going green not only helps the environment, but in many cases helps your wallet too, such as switching to eco-friendly light bulbs. You can redecorate your home to reflect an environmentally-conscious personality by using materials that are eco-friendly. For flooring, for example, you can use cork, instead of pricey hardwoods. If you want the look of marble, but don’t want the expense of the larger carbon footprint associated with having it shipped from abroad, a material called paperstone is perfect for countertops. It is durable and made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Using unbleached linens can lessen your impact on the environments, and even the simplest linen can make any room look good.
Good as Gold:
Long thought to be gaudy and a feature only used by “nouveaux riche,” gold is making a big splash in 2012. While silver metals have always been associated with class, a few touches of gold can make any room look elegant (just don’t overdo it.) Use it sparingly and only for accents, like gold throw pillow, gold tassels on your curtains or gold picture frames. Mix it up with some rich colors like purple to make it really pop. Brushed brass is also a good alternative, if you don’t like the too-polished look of gold.
Neon is Back:
Neon shades are making a big comeback, and it’s not just in fashion! Neon colors can really brighten up the room, the key is to not overdo it and stick to one color. These bright shades look best against neutral tones like gray or white, but try mixing it with softer shades. You might be surprised how neon green works with soft shades of blue.
Mix-and-Match:
Decorating has its rules, and many designers want to make sure that they keep pieces together according to style. However, this is the year to break the rules, and you’ll find styles and centuries mixing together. For example, an elegant art nouveau chair can look good in a minimalist apartment, provided it be the focal point. Don’t go crazy by mixing too many styles, and make sure the room still looks beautiful.
Men’s Motifs:
It seemed for a long time that decorating was purely a woman’s job and so many designs and prints are geared towards the ladies – just check any sample book or decorating magazine and you’ll see the prevalence of florals and paisleys, silks and satins. However, prints that have been traditionally “male” like pin stripes and houndstooth, as well as fabrics like wool and tweed are moving from the boardroom to the bedroom.
So, now that you know what to look forward to in 2012, start planning your next project today!
By Relocation.com
After moving, there are many fun ways you can spruce up your home. If you love to entertain and you love to drink, then you should think of investing in a great home improvement project like purchasing your own home bar. True, you can mix drinks in your kitchen or your dining table, but if you’re planning to serve more than vodka mixed with juice or soda, a bar will allow you to store and mix your own liquors, and keep you organized. It’s also a good centerpiece for any occasion, and it’s simple to organize and create your own bar nook.
First off, you’ll need the actual bar. If you want to save money, you can build your own, but you should also have some sort of building and crafting skills to make even a simple bar table. There is plenty of pre-built bars in stores and online, so you should do your research. It should be the right size to fit your designated bar nook, and should be able to fit all your bottles and accessories. Some bars have additional parts, like an overhead bottle holder or shelf, so you can display your bottles and have easy access to them as well.
Next, you’ll have to fill up your bar. If you have the cash to burn, then you can fill it up in one go. Of course, if you don’t have a lot of money, then you can slowly build it up over time. What sorts of things should you get? It’s hard to decide what to buy first, but a good way to choose is by buying things for your favorite drink or drinks and build it up from there. So if you like a good martini, then a bottle of gin, vermouth, and some olives should be your first buys. It’s also good to stock up on some basics, like vodka, rum, gin, tequila and soda water, but unless you’re having a party soon, you can always add these bottle by bottle. Later on, you can add some more mixers and liquers like Baileys, Khalua, Cointreau, Brandy, Pimm’s, Vermouth, Campari, Grenadine Syrup, etc.
Of course, a good bar will also have the right accessories. You can get full bartender gear in sets, but you can also build it up as you go along. Shakers and jiggers are essential for mixing, especially if you like your drinks “shaken, not stirred.” A strainer will help you get the drink into the glass without the ice you used to shake it in. If you do like your drinks mixed, then you’ll need a long bar spoon for maximum efficiency. There are other bar tools you may need as well, such as muddlers, zesters and ice crushers. Also, good glassware is important, as you don’t want to just serve your drinks in plastic cups. Shot glasses, short old-fashioned glasses and tall highball glasses are good to have around. Martini glasses or cocktail glasses are also some essentials you can’t live without.
Once you’re done with your preparations, you can now mix your own drinks, and invite a few over’s for a fun evening!
By Relocation.com
After you have settled in with moving you may be thinking about some ideas how how to decorate your room. A fun way to do so is with mirrors. A well-positioned mirror in a rooms can brighten it up, as well a giving it an illusion of space – perfect for diminutive spaces! So, if want to use mirrors for your home, check out these unique and creative mirror decorating ideas.
Create your own Design.
You can purchase mirrors cut out in different designs, but why not make your own? A sunburst mirror design will be perfect for any room, and you don’t have to break the bank (or a couple of mirrors) to do this. Take a large circular mirror, and several rectangular ones. Place your round mirror in the center, and then position the rectangular mirrors around it, making it the “rays” of your sun. You can also make other designs from pre-cut mirrors, just use your imagination!
Bathroom Decor.
Your bathroom should have at least a small mirror, usually over the sink. But, you’re not limited to that. If you have a small shower stall, you can install a full-length mirror inside to help create an illusion of space. You can also put a mirror on the walls or on the door, so you can give the bathroom a more open feel.
Light up Your Living Room.
If you have a small, cramped living room, placing mirrors inside will help you create that illusion of space. However, a more creative use would be help you light up the room. You’ll have to position the mirrors in such a way so that it catches and reflects light. One way is to take several full-length dressing mirrors and hang them horizontally in panels across your living room. This position catches the light and reflects them in interesting ways. Another would be to cover on side of the room with mirrors, and then place a couch in front of it. This creates a seating area and focal point for your living room.
The Bedroom.
A mirrored headboard is an interesting focal point for your bedroom. You can find several types in the stores or you can simply make your own. Of course, don’t just get a full-length mirror and turn it sideways. Do something unexpected, like taking small mirrors and positioning them to make a headboard. Or, you can take up the entire wall as the headboard and place mirrors all over. If you want something simple, a decorative round mirror placed above your bed can make an elegant statement.
By Maria Paulia Belgado
In the last few years, people have been concerned about the state of the environment – from global warming, to deforestation and saving endangered species, it seems every has “green” on their mind. So many things have “gone green,” from business practices, to the moving industry to fashion and even home decorating. Our homes are the best place to start if we want to be environmentally-friendly (as well as teaching our kids to be.) Of course, it’s not just about being chic and in-style, but you may find that keeping toxic materials and chemicals out of your home can do a lot more for your health. With these bedroom decorating tips, you’ll find that it can be easy to be green.
Clear the Air, Save Some Cash.
The quality of air in your bedroom is important; after all, you breathe it in and out for at least 8 hours per day. You can install from filters and air purifiers, but you don’t need to spend that much. One great way to clear the air is to install fans in your bedroom. These will not only save on your power bill, but also ensure that your air keeps flowing and doesn’t get stagnant. Also, get some lighter curtains that can allow the sun to stream in – sunshine is the best bacteria killer and will also prevent molds and mildew from accumulating in dark, damp bedrooms.
Green Your Bed.
The mattress is the most important part of your bedroom – make sure it’s not harming you and the environment. Many conventional mattresses contain toxic chemicals and contains polyurethane foam which is bad for the environment. Instead, choose organic mattresses, usually made of wool, cotton or latex which are all farmed organically. These are durable materials and provide the same comfort as regular mattresses, so there’s no need to sacrifice quality for eco-friendliness.
Don’t Forget Your Bedding.
Next, you can get some organic beddings, as well. Organic cloth made from cotton or bamboo are the best, as these are not treated with formaldehyde to make them soft. Cotton plantations use about a third of the world’s pesticides, so buying organic cotton, made without any chemicals will make a big difference. Bamboo, on the other hand, is a fast-growing, renewable resource. Of course, when you decide to go green and replace your old bedding, make sure you recycle them, whether that means turning them into something useful like pillow covers or rags, or donating them to a shelter.
Follow our tips to brighten up and decorate your small space
With small apartments or homes, decorating your small space can be a challenge. Since your home is a reflection of your personality you want it to be warm and open showcasing your interests in music, art and culture.
Keep it natural. For small spaces, you will need maximum openings to help with natural light. Make sure your blinds and curtains do not block any artificial and natural sources of light; doing so will make your room look dry and cramped. Avoid using heavy and dark window curtain as they reduce the visual area of your room. Make sure you use clear or light colored glasses for your windows. Arrange your furniture such that it doesn’t block light. Sparkling clean windows will add more volume to your room.
Huge and block-like furniture pieces will your small rooms look even smaller. Try placing light and informal furniture pieces that make your small room stylish. Do not place your chairs or sofas in front of your windows. Placing furniture in front of your windows reduce the length of your small spaces. Low profile furniture pieces are best suited for small spaces. Make sure you add furniture which is comfortable and keeps free space in your room.
Monochromatic color schemes are best suited for small spaces. This means you should use different shades of the same color. This trick works best when you use a neutral color, like white, along with it. Using variations of a single shade make small spaces look larger, open and not cluttered. You may also consider adding exciting textures.
Even of your space is small, it should be converted such that it has enough place for everyone. There is potential in all small spaces to be converted into stylish areas. Even if your space is small, there are corners which can be used effectively. Add reading lamps or slender hall lamps to brighten up those corners. You can easily give volume to your small space by highlighting your dark corners. Setting slim and tall hall lamps will also throw light to your ceiling and make the entire room glow.
Keep your floor area clear. Using up floor space will reduce the area of your room. Adding shelves and wall racks will make your small space attractive and also provide better storage options. There are several kinds of materials which can used to create decorative shelves.
Your space should also be free of clutter. A cluttered space feels not only disorganized, but cramped as well. If you want to project more volume in your small spaces, art and accents should be sparingly used. Adding few favorite accents will do the needful. You may also shuffle your accessories to change the look of your small spaces. While adding paintings, make sure you add the ones which are rectangular and sleek. Don’t cover all your walls with paintings; there must be enough space between two paintings, and it will make it look less cluttered.
Decorating your small space doesn’t have to be difficult. Using a little creativity and imagination can transform your small spaces into livable and wonderful areas.
By Maria Paulia Belgado
Special to Relocation.com
The holidays are upon us again, and first up is the frighteningly delightful celebration of all things ghoulish – Halloween! It’s that time of year when the young (and young at heart) dress up in celebration of All Hallow’s Eve. Dressing up isn’t just for your kids – you can dress up your home as well, to welcome trick-or-treaters or guests for a Halloween Party. To help you along, here are some Halloween home decorating ideas to give your home a festive new look.
Idea #1 Scary Carved Pumpkins:
Pumpkin carving is a Halloween tradition, and is a great activity for kids (though the young ones should be supervised!) If you’ve never done it before, it’s easy to make your own Jack-O-Lantern. Take a fresh pumpkin – the bigger the better – in a shape you like. Draw a circle on the top, around the stem, and cut carefully. Take the top off and set it aside. Scoop out the insides and throw it out. Now, draw a scary face on the side of the pumpkin, and carefully cut it out it a small knife. When you’re done, place a small votive candle inside and put the top back on. And there you have – a pumpkin carving worthy of Halloween! Do this with several pumpkins and place it along your porch or front yard to greet your guests.
Idea #2 Spooky Scarecrow:
A scarecrow isn’t just for the birds – but it can be fun for Halloween too. First, carve an extra pumpkin (same instructions as above) and set it aside. Take some old clothes, like a shirt and pants or overalls, and stuff it with straw. Sew the top and bottom together to make the scarecrow body, and cut out a hole between the legs. Then, drive a large stake to the ground, and push your scarecrow body through the stake, leaving some room on the top. Secure it with some twine if you need to. Now, take your carved pumpkin, cut a hole in the bottom for the stake, and place it on top of the body. Top it off with a straw hat and there you go – a spooky scarecrow to frighten (and delight) those trick-or-treaters!
Idea #3 Holiday Wreath:
Not all Halloween decorations need to be scary. Halloween is also when fall is in full swing – when the leaves turn brown and fall to the ground and crunch beneath our boots. Celebrate this time of the year with a holiday wreath. It’s really easy to make, if you have the right materials. You’ll need a circular frame of some kind, and you can cut one out of Styrofoam or you can use an embroidery hoop. Using crafter’s glue or a hot glue gun, you can attach all kinds of fall-related items to the hoop. It’s good to have a base material of some kind, and usually, brown twigs are a great base. Just take the twigs and glue it to the frame, in the same direction. Then you can attach all kinds of things to it – pine cones, leaves, miniature pumpkins, small ears of corn, etc. Or if you want to keep with the spooky Halloween theme, then you can use plastic spiders, vats, skulls or mini Jack-O-Lanterns.
These are just some of the basic home decorating ideas for Halloween you can do to prepare your home for this fun and frightening holiday. Be creative and try your own decorating ideas – there are no rules and remember it’s all for fun!
A few small changes can really enhance your home - Image Credit: http://www.outinhome.com/
By Faith Teel
Special to Relocation.com
The second day of January often brings a sense of relief: you’ve gotten all of your vacationing out of your system, and now you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and dive back into your daily life.
The first weeks of a new year are also a great time to spruce up your house. After all, you’re already taking down the Christmas decorations, so you might as well redecorate a little bit while you’re at it. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Get crafty. Are you snowed in with nothing to do? Why not get out those crafty projects you’ve been meaning to tackle? This is a great time of year to repaint an old lamp, make a collage for your bedroom wall or sew a new pair of curtains. Start the year with a little bit of artistic inspiration, and set a trend for the rest of the year.
Bring the outdoors in. Sometimes winter can make a house feel drab and glum. If you’re really longing for spring, stop by your local nursery or florist and pick up a few forced bulbs. You can also perk up your home by taking a cue from the Japanese, who change the artwork on their walls in response to the seasons around them. This winter, why not pick up an inexpensive poster that reminds you of warmth and sunshine?
Do a thorough housecleaning. A chilly day is ideal for cleaning your home from top-to-bottom, because household chores give you a little exercise without actually forcing you to go outside. Now is the time to dust the chandelier, clean the lint out of the laundry room, shake the breadcrumbs out of the toaster and re-fold all of the sheets in the linen closet.
Update your light bulbs. Especially if you have high ceilings that put your light fixtures out of reach, it’s easy to put off changing your light bulbs. You need all of the bright light that you can get in winter, so make sure that all of the bulbs in your house are working. While you’re at it, dust off any glass shades, and give the fabric ones a good scrub in the sink (or at least spot-clean them).
Get ready for spring. Speaking of warmth and sunshine, winter won’t last forever. Now is the time to plan next year’s garden. Even a small apartment balcony has room for a few planters. Use them as an excuse to page through gardening catalogs and dream of summer flowers.
Give to charity. This winter, take a few minutes to sort through your stack of canned goods and other dry food. Food pantries often get lots of donations before Christmas, only to fall short later in the season. Why not give those dusty tins to someone who will appreciate them?
Don’t forget your clothes closets. This is a great time of year to sort through your bedroom closets and get rid of any summer clothes that you’ll never wear again. (Hint: if you didn’t wear it last summer, you probably don’t need it.)
Patch it up. Need a little coziness on a cold afternoon? Try an old-fashioned remedy: mend your clothes and other household items. This is a great time to sit in a comfortable chair in the warmest part of the house and sew patches onto old bed sheets or fix a tear in your favorite skirt. A cup of tea and an audio book can round out the picture and turn an otherwise dull chore into a pleasant refuge from your worries.
Paint the town—or just the house. If you manage to catch a few days of winter thaw so that you can open your windows for ventilation, now is a great time to repaint your walls. Pale, warm colors are an excellent choice in winter, because they reflect more of that scarce sunlight. Even if you can’t get a warm enough day to repaint a whole room, get out your cans of touch-up paint and freshen up the spots where the kids have been leaving hand prints.
Having a home that’s bright and clean is a great way to beat the winter blues. As you while away the days until spring, get ready for the new year by cleaning house and freshening up your surroundings. It will keep you feeling energized and uplifted all season long.
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. How to decorate your home this holiday season.
(Image Credit: http://www.christmaslightsetc.com/)
By Faith Teel
Special to Relocation.com
This year has been a tough year on many budgets, but that doesn’t mean you have to hold back on the Christmas decorations. Instead, plan wisely, search for bargains, use what you what you have and create your own decoration as well. This holiday is about joy, not money. In this article, we’ll give you lots of tips for making or finding inexpensive Christmas decorations that sparkle with good cheer despite their humble origins.
Christmas for Kids
If you have children at home, now is a great time to fall back on traditional favorites. Keep in mind that we’re not the first generation to have Christmas on a budget; our parents and grandparents all knew how to “deck the halls” with things they already had at home.
Salt Dough Ornaments – Salt dough are like cookie dough, except that it doesn’t spoil and it’s inedible. It’s typically made of just salt, dough and flour, and any old-fashioned cookbook (or new-fangled recipe website) will have a salt dough recipe. Your kids can use salt dough to make decorative “cookies,” bake them, and then paint them with craft paint. Be sure to add holes for ribbon so that they can be hung on the Christmas tree!
Paper Chains – Paper chains are simple loops of paper combined to make a long garland that can be wrapped around your Christmas tree. They’re easy to make with a stapler or a pot of glue. Use ordinary construction paper, or up the ante with gorgeous wrapping paper or scrap-booking paper. (Children really appreciate good paper.)
Snowflakes – Every kid has cut dozens of snowflakes made from paper folded into six or eight sections. This year, jazz them up by using golden or silver paper, or try using colored paper in several layers so that the holes in one snowflake show the colors of the one behind it.
Popcorn Strings – One of the old-fashioned traditions that we’d like to see a return to is the string of popcorn on the tree. Use air-popped kernels for a long-lasting garland that doesn’t smell like butter.
A Sophisticated Christmas
Kids’ decorations are cute, but sometimes the Martha Stewart in your heart calls you to decorate with a more grown-up, sophisticated palette. Luckily, Christmas ornaments don’t have to be expensive in order to look expensive.
Paper Ribbons – This is the grown-up version of the kids’ paper chain. Get some lovely parchment paper or some elegant wrapping paper. Cut the paper into one-inch-wide strips and glue them end-to-end to make a long “ribbon.” In your best handwriting, use a magic marker to write the words of a favorite carol or poem on one side of the paper ribbon. Wrap your ribbon around your Christmas tree or hang it over a doorway.
Presents on a String – Save your tiny boxes throughout the year and wrap them in elegant paper. Run a string through them using a big darning needle, and then hang them in your house as a garland. Use bigger boxes as decorations on a fireplace mantle or a hall table.
Glittery Branches – Two of our best friends in budget decorating come together in this craft. Check your yard for shapely dead branches, and then spray them with metallic spray paint for a lovely winter sculpture. Hang Christmas ornaments from the glittery twigs.
Bring the Outdoors In – This is a great time to trim back that holly that’s been overwhelming your sidewalk. Look for pinecones and evergreen branches, too. We’ve even scored a branch of mistletoe when the landscapers were trimming it out of the trees at our local park.
Heavily Ornamented – Do you have more Christmas ornaments than you can fit on your tree? Why not hang them everywhere else, too? Chandeliers are prime candidates for Christmas ornaments, and so are doorways. Do you have a spare tree topper such as an angel or a star? Try topping the end of a stair banister or the finials of a bedpost.
Apples and Oranges – Another of our favorite decorating tips is to use tomorrow’s food for today’s decorating. Apples and oranges are lovely when heaped in a basket with a few pinecones and a red velvet bow. If you have a cupcake stand, replace the cupcakes with fruit to make an apple “tree.”
Dessert – Fruit isn’t the only decorative food. To quote that classic cookbook, “The Joy of Cooking,” “desserts give a hostess a chance to build a focal point.” An elegant cake can make a gorgeous centerpiece for any dinner party. If you’re not an expert at frosting, cut a paper “snowflake” and lay it over a dark cake (such as ginger or chocolate). Sprinkle the cake with confectioner’s sugar and then carefully remove the paper. The paper will leave a pattern in the sugar.
No matter how slim your budget is, you can always find a way to make a cheerful Christmas. Just stick to the old-fashioned essentials, and remember: it’s not about how much money is in your wallet; it’s about how much love is in your heart.
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A family celebrating the Festival of Lights
By Serena Norr
The holiday season is finally here and for many of us that means shuffling through stores in search of the latest and greatest toy or gadget, but we all know that this is not the true meaning of the holidays. Part of that includes staying focused on what is really important – spending time with family and friends including enjoying traditional fare, customs and music and simply being together. Starting with Hanukkah (or Chanukah), Relocation.com has the best ways for you and your family to celebrate this eight-day holiday known as the Festival of Lights.
Make Hanukkah cards. Cards are a great way to pass along well wishes to friends and family members and what better way to spread the message but by making a homemade card. Use old wrapping paper or images from old magazines or websites like Craft Creations, cut out the images and glue them on a piece of construction paper with a sealant like Mod Podge. Your children can also draw a picture on the front or you can glue on a family picture. Write your holiday greeting inside the card and include a small wallet-size picture of your family.
Make food together. Food is one of the central elements of Hanukkah and getting children involved is a great way to teach them about its preparation and traditional significance. Kids can help shred potatoes and onions for the latkes or prepare batter for jelly donuts. They can also help cut out cookie shapes or dress them with blue and white sprinkles. Other food items that they can help with: applesauce, cutting up carrots for pot roast or matzo ball soup or opening packages of noodles for noodle kugel.
Listen to music together. Play Hanukkah music at home throughout the eight days. Some traditional favorites include “Chanukah: Festival of Lights,” ” Spirit of the Holidays, O’ Hanukkah” or a modern classic like Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song.”
Arts and crafts. Aside from making Hanukkah holiday cards, children can create their own candles or menorahs. Candles are made from beeswax and menorahs can be made out of sculpting clay, which most craft stores have. Kids can decorate their menorahs using paint or markers to create their own personal and unique symbol of the holiday. You can also create a Hanukah scrapbook or collage using images that relate to the holiday and pictures of your family.
Read books. Books that discuss the theme of Hanukkah are great to enjoy over the holiday as well as teach lessons in a fun way. “Light the Lights,” “Latkes and Applesauce,” “Light the Candles: A Hanukkah Lift-the-Flap Book,” and “The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes” are great book younger children. Older children might like “Moishe’s Miracle: A Hanukkah Story” or “No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein.”
Consider a video. Kids also love videos and they can be an entertaining way to teach them about the values and principals of this holiday. Check out “A Rugrats Chanukah,” Chanuka at Bubbe’s” or “A Taste of Chanukah.”
Light the lights. Of course one of the well-know traditions of the holiday involves lighting of the menorah. Gather the whole family together and reveal in the beauty of the menorah, and perhaps your homemade creations. Traditionally, the menorah is placed in a front window in order to share the light with neighbors.
Play games. Games like dreidel, a spinning top, are traditional favorites during Hanukkah. The Player use candies or chocolate coins called gelt to play the game. When a player spins the dreidel, he or she will either take some treats from the pot, or put some into the pot.
Share gifts. Another part of the holiday includes eight days of gifts. Exchange gifts together and enjoy the act of giving to the people that matter the most to you.
Remember, holidays and traditions are best when they can be shared with others. Have a Happy Hanukkah!
Showcase your pumpkin carving and decorating skills this Halloween.
By Faith Teel
Special to Relocation.com
Halloween isn’t just a time for people to dress up… houses like costumes, too! This year, why not try a few spooky decorating ideas that will scare your friends and flex your crafty muscles, without putting too many holes in your pocketbook.
Pumpkin Alternatives
Carved pumpkins are the classic Halloween decoration, but who has the time and really, who wants to clean up that mess? Luckily, there are lots of easy alternatives that won’t require you to threaten an innocent pumpkin with a huge, serial-killer-style knife.
Painted Pumpkins – All you need is a little bit of black paint to make silly or spooky faces… or get a can of glittery spray paint and paint the whole pumpkin to make the ultimate statement in Halloween glam. This is great for small kids, too, who can use as much paint or as little as possible and go wild with their Halloween pumpkin.
Squash – Next time you’re in the supermarket, look for a few pumpkin alternatives. Painted butternut squashes make fantastic ghosts and goblins… and if you keep them in a cool, dry place, they could last until it’s time to make squash casserole for Thanksgiving.
Lumpkins – Many supermarkets offer pumpkins and squashes that are so strange that they don’t need carving. Look for “peanut pumpkins,” which are covered in funny “warts” resembling peanut hulls.
Balloons – Your local card store, gift shop or florist probably sells helium balloons. Skip the pricey, shiny Mylar balloons and opt for inexpensive orange, white or green rubber balloons instead. Take them home and draw faces on them: jack-o-lantern faces for the orange ones, mummies or ghosts for the white ones and witches for the green ones.
Scarecrows – Creating a crafty scarecrow is a great way to showcase your decor skills, while also enhancing your front lawn.
Subtle Scares
One of the best kinds of Halloween decorations are the subtle ones that take a minute to notice, but really creep your friends out when they finally see them.
Things Under Glass – Save your old spaghetti jars, wash them out and remove the labels. Now fill them with mysterious-looking things and add a stick-on label with a scary name on it. For example, you could put an old rubber mask in a large jar and label it “Granny’s Pickled Heads.” Or try spiny chestnuts labeled “Poison Urchins” or dried leaves labeled “Deadly Nightshade.”
Are You Going to Eat That? – Try the same trick with jars still full of food. Tomato pesto, black olives and pickled garlic take on new meanings when labeled “Frog Hearts,” “Eye of Newt” and “Werewolf Teeth.”
Apple Crones – Peel a few apples and carve them to look like an old woman, with slits for eyes, a big nose, and a straight line for a mouth. Let the apples wither for a few days, and soon you’ll have a row of little witch faces.
Weird Family Photos – Scour the internet for old film stills of Dracula, the Mummy or Frankenstein. (Try to get high-resolution pictures.) Print them out in black and white and slip them in with other family photos. You can even make a game out of this where the first person to notice will receive a Halloween treat.
Mysterious Bloodstains – Fake blood aren’t just for costumes anymore. Squirt it on old pillowcase and then pull the pillowcase over a throw pillow. Put it on your couch for a scary touch. Just be sure to use fabric that you don’t mind putting a few stains onto!
Graveyard Trees – Now that your container garden is dying back, why not pull out a few dead annual plants and replace them with bare branches stuck into the soil like trees? You can use them as-is or drape them with cobwebs and plastic spiders.
Big Statements
Subtle can be fun, but if you’re hosting a party, you’ll want to make big changes that affect the whole atmosphere of your home. Here are a few ways to make the whole room look delightfully spooky.
Orange or Red Christmas Lights – Now is a good time to raid your bucket of Christmas lights. Orange, red or white lights all make great lighting for haunted Halloween homes.
Paint It Black – Need to make a major statement? Raid your attic, closet, garage or local yard sale for anything that you can spray paint black. Old chandeliers are great for this, and so are candlesticks and artificial flowers.
Black Bed Sheets – Are you planning to buy more bed linens soon? Why not get black or red bed sheets? They can double as quick covers for chairs and small sofas whose floral prints or bright colors might otherwise distract from your scary décor.
Cheesecloth, Cheesecloth, Cheesecloth – Cheesecloth is another inexpensive alternative for covering large furniture. It has a white, ghostlike color and an open weave that makes it look like a shroud. It’s also good for covering a Halloween table, wrapping over a mop head for an improvised ghost, or bandaging over an old hat form to make a mummy head.
Silhouettes – Black paper is your friend! Your local craft store may offer it in sheets or even big rolls. Use it to make silhouettes of mice, bats and cats, or cut larger shapes such as witches, werewolves, vampires or ghouls. Don’t limit yourself to the wall; try putting them in your baseboards, climbing up your steps or peering out of the windows.
In the Bathroom – Why not write something scary on the mirror in red lipstick, or use your spooky silhouettes or fake blood to make a great effect behind a translucent shower curtain?
Invitations – For inexpensive (yet scary) invitations, pick up some parchment paper from the same craft store and use a scary font to make your invite. (Or try a handwriting font and make your invitations look like a letter from Dracula!) Seal them up with the stick-on red wax seals used for wedding invitations.
Food Centerpieces – Halloween food is another subject entirely, but we couldn’t resist mentioning a few of our favorites. For a great centerpiece on the food table, try a mysterious green punch labeled “Love Potion.” If you’ve got a little time on your hands, adapt the classic gingerbread house with black frosting, licorice, candy corn, pumpkin candies and gummy worms to make a “haunted house.”
There’s no holiday like Halloween to bring out your inner decorator. Give a few of these tips a try… you’re sure to have a screaming good time!
A new coat of paint can really spruce up your home.
By Kathy Woodard
Now that moving is over and you’re finally in your new home, it’s time to make it your own and add some of your style and personality. There are some simple home improvement fixes to change your new home that anyone can do. With one weekend and a little elbow grease, you can have your place in tip top shape in no time!
Paint:
Ok, I know this is an obvious one. The reason you hear painting as the number one DIY project for new homeowners so often is because it’s effective. And cheap. And easy. What more could you want? Make sure you plan out your color scheme for each room or the whole house before you ever visit a paint store. Many a new homeowner has ended up with what in the store appeared to be a bold, trendy color, only to discover that their new home was pink — really pink. Consider not just walls, but kitchen and bathroom cabinets, trim and doors as well. Plan, prepare and try out sample paints before you take a whole project on, but do paint!
Paint more…
Yea, I know, back to the paint thing. But did you know you can paint more than walls? By using a good primer and some polyurethane for protection, just about anything can be painted. Some ideas?
• Ugly bathroom countertops? If you can’t afford replacement counters, no worries. Prime, paint with a faux stone finish, then seal with polyurethane. Instant style update, without the remodeling price!
• Does your new kitchen come complete with avocado green appliances? You can spray paint them with auto spray paint to camouflage the 1970s look. If you paint a stove, make sure you use stove paint to protect the finish from the heat. Most home improvement stores carry a good brand.
• Yucky pink tile in the bathroom? Again, prime with a good primer, then paint. There are specialty paints for just this purpose, or you can use regular house paint and seal well with polyurethane.
• Even vinyl flooring can be painted. Keep in mind however, the higher the amount of traffic the floor receives, the more coats of polyurethane you will want to use for protection.
Add curb appeal:
You can increase the curb appeal of your new home in a day with some simple fixes. Replace your house numbers with something more in line with your personal style. Add a new mailbox, and update the light fixtures on your porch. Consider adding a window box or two. Use ornamental grasses in your box to give your home a contemporary feel different from the other houses on the block. Finally, paint the front door. Making these easy changes will brand your house as yours from all the way down the street!
Add storage:
Most homes never have enough storage, so think about making that one of your first home improvement projects. Closet and pantry systems are available at most home improvement centers and are easily installed by a beginning DIYer. Don’t forget the garage! Even adding simple shelves, hooks and hangars for tools and other items can double your storage space.
Quick changes:
There are also some simple projects you can do in less than an hour. Change out the cabinet hardware in the kitchen and bath. Choose new glass shades for all your ceiling mount light fixtures. Replace mismatched window treatments with inexpensive blinds. Add curtain sheers. Clean your windows inside and out to add sparkle to every room!
There you have it, simple fixes to change your new home, without needing a class in engineering or the bank account of a celebrity!
Want free home and garden ideas? Kathy Woodard is an author, columnist and home decorating expert. Visit her websites: TheBudgetDecorator.com and DecoratingYourSmallSpace.com.
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